Varieties of drought-tolerant oilseed rape and maize were already
being tested in field trials in the United States, the report quoted
David Dennis, the chief executive of Performance Plants Incorporated
in Kingston, Ontario, as saying. Dennis claimed the new varieties can
increase yield by 40% when the plants are most water-stressed.
Global warming is predicted to make arable land in developing
countries less productive or unusable. GM advocates claim
drought-resistant crops could play an important role in adapting to
these new challenges.
However, opponents of GM crops say the scientists’ claims are
exaggerated. "We would take any claims that these crops are just
around the corner with a large pinch of salt because we have heard it
all before," said Claire Oxborrow of Friends of the Earth.
See full story